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The Fusion Energy Sciences (FES) of the Office of Science (SC), U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), herby announces its interest in receiving applications to carry out experimental research in magnetic fusion energy sciences on long-pulse overseas stellarator facilities, namely Wendelstein 7-X (Germany) and the Large Helical Device (LHD - Japan). The research should be related to the planning, execution, and analysis of experiments concerning the topical areas described below. The FES Burning Plasma Science: Long Pulse portfolio supports U.S. researchers who work in collaboration with foreign scientists to explore critical science and technology issues at the frontiers of magnetic fusion research. These collaborations take advantage of the unique capabilities of the most advanced overseas research facilities.

The Innovations in Graduate Education (IGE) program is designed to encourage the development and implementation of bold, new, and potentially transformative approaches to STEM graduate education training. The program seeks proposals that explore ways for graduate students in research-based master's and doctoral degree programs to develop the skills, knowledge, and competencies needed to pursue a range of STEM careers. IGE focuses on projects aimed at piloting, testing, and validating innovative and potentially transformative approaches to graduate education. IGE projects are intended to generate the knowledge required for their customization, implementation, and broader adoption. The program supports testing of novel models or activities with high potential to enrich and extend the knowledge base on effective graduate education approaches. The program addresses both workforce development, emphasizing broad participation, and institutional capacity building needs in graduate education. Strategic collaborations with the private sector, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), government agencies, national laboratories, field stations, teaching and learning centers, informal science centers, and academic partners are encouraged.

his announcement explicitly encourages projects that improve the capacity of education systems and communities to create impactful STEM educational experiences for students and workers. Submissions are encouraged to consider including active learning approaches and incorporating 21st century skill development. Projects must aim to increase student and worker engagement in STEM and enhance people with needed Naval STEM capabilities. ONR encourages applications to utilize current STEM educational research for informing project design and advancing our understanding of how and why people choose STEM careers and opportunities of naval relevance. While this announcement is relevant for any stage of the STEM educational system, funding efforts will be targeted primarily toward projects addressing the below communities or any combination of these communities: * Secondary education communities; * Post-Secondary communities; * Informal science communities; * Current naval STEM workforce communities. Project scope may range in size and complexity. Projects that are already established with prior funding sources or have established stakeholders are especially encouraged to consider the following scope areas: * Develop and implement exploratory pilot projects that seek to create new educational experiences within educational and training communities. * Develop larger cohesive STEM education and training activities that strengthen the capacity of regional communities and stakeholders to improve STEM education and training.

The purpose of the NIH Mentored Research Scientist Development Award (K01) is to provide support and "protected time" (three to five years) for an intensive, supervised career development experience in the biomedical, behavioral, or clinical sciences leading to research independence. Although all of the participating NIH Institutes and Centers (ICs) use this support mechanism to support career development experiences that lead to research independence, some ICs use the K01 award for individuals who propose to train in a new field or for individuals who have had a hiatus in their research career because of illness or pressing family circumstances. Other ICs offer separate K01 FOAs intended to increase research workforce diversity.

The overarching goals of this program are to (i) prepare, nurture, and grow the national scientific research workforce for creating, utilizing, and supporting advanced cyberinfrastructure (CI) that enables potentially transformative fundamental science and engineering research and contributes to the Nation's overall economic competiveness and security; (ii) ensure broad adoption of CI tools, methods, and resources by the fundamental science and engineering research community to enable new modes of discovery; and (iii) integrate core literacy and discipline-appropriate advanced skills in advanced CI as well as computational and data science and engineering into the Nation's educational curriculum/instructional material fabric spanning undergraduate and graduate courses. For the purpose of this solicitation, advanced CI is broadly defined as the set of resources, tools, and services for advanced computation, data handling, networking, and security that collectively enable potentially transformative fundamental research.

Research supported by the Division of Materials Research (DMR) focuses on advancing fundamental understanding of materials, materials discovery, design, synthesis, characterization, properties, and materials-related phenomena. DMR awards enable understanding of the electronic, atomic, and molecular structures, mechanisms, and processes that govern nanoscale to macroscale morphology and properties; manipulation and control of these properties; discovery of emerging phenomena of matter

The Science of Learning program supports potentially transformative basic research to advance the science of learning. The goals of the SL Program are to develop basic theoretical insights and fundamental knowledge about learning principles, processes and constraints. Projects that are integrative and/or interdisciplinary may be especially valuable in moving basic understanding of learning forward but research with a single discipline or methodology is also appropriate if it addresses basic scientific questions in learning. The possibility of developing connections between proposed research and specific scientific, technological, educational, and workforce challenges will be considered as valuable broader impacts, but are not necessarily central to the intellectual merit of proposed research. The program will support research addressing learning in a wide range of domains at one or more levels of analysis including: molecular/cellular mechanisms; brain systems; cognitive affective, and behavioral processes; and social/cultural influences. The program supports a variety of methods including: experiments, field studies, surveys, secondary-data analyses, and modeling.

The International Research Experiences for Students (IRES) program supports development of globally-engaged U.S. science and engineering students capable of performing in an international research environment at the forefront of science and engineering.  The IRES program supports active research participation by students enrolled as undergraduates or graduate students in any of the areas of research funded by the National Science Foundation.  IRES projects involve students in meaningful ways in ongoing research programs or in research projects specifically designed for the IRES program. 

This could include, but is not limited to: (a) alternative and clean energy sources; (b) environmental and social issues as related to specific or broader energy and resource management issues; (c) economic, environmental, and social costs/benefits of energy development (alternative and fossil fuel); (d) hazard and risk assessment of different methods of energy production on various endpoints/receptors; (e) development of frameworks for managing energy development; and (f) restoration/reclamation of lands damaged by energy extraction

Secretary of the Air Force Heather Wilson announced in September 2017 inception of the "S&T Strategy 2030" study. The study's objective is to update the Air Force methods for conducting research and development (R&D) to meet the projected national security challenges of 2030. Secretary Wilson appointed the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) to lead this strategy development.The Air Force's goals for the study are: 1. Evaluate technical approaches and focus areas to advance the Air Force's mission through R&D; and 2. Improve Air Force processes and organizational structures to manage early stage research.

The Division of Molecular and Cellular Biosciences (MCB) has developed a new opportunity to enable researchers with a strong track record of prior accomplishment to pursue a new avenue of research or inquiry. This funding mechanism is designed to facilitate and promote a PI's ability to effective adopt empowering technologies that might not be readily accessible in the PI's current research environment or collaboration network. Transformative research likely spans disciplines and minimizing the practical barriers to doing so will strengthen research programs poised to make significant contributions. The award is intended to allow mid-career or later-stage researchers (Associate or Full Professor, or equivalent) to expand or make a transition in their research programs via a sabbatical leave or similar mechanism of professional development and then develop that research program in their own lab. This award will also enable the PI to acquire new scientific or technical expertise, facilitate the investigator's competitiveness, and potentially lead to transformational impacts in molecular and cellular bioscience.

With the NSF Convergence Accelerator, NSF's goals are: (i) to pilot a new NSF capability to accelerate use-inspired convergence research in areas of national importance, and (ii) to initiate convergence team-building capacity around exploratory, potentially high-risk proposals in specific convergence topics (tracks). The NSF Convergence Accelerator supports use-inspired, goal-oriented, basic research, encouraging rapid advances through partnerships that include multiple stakeholders (e.g., industry, academic, not-for-profits, government entities, and others). The NSF Convergence Accelerator brings teams together in a cohort that are all focused on a common research goal of national importance, but which may be pursuing many different approaches. As a funder of research and education across all fields of science and engineering and with relationships with universities and funding agencies around the world, NSF is uniquely positioned to pilot this approach to accelerate discovery and innovation. Teams supported by the NSF Convergence Accelerator will focus on grand challenges that require a convergence approach. The teams are multidisciplinary and leverage partnerships; tracks within the NSF Convergence Accelerator relate to a grand challenge problem and have a high probability of resulting in deliverables that will benefit society within a fixed term. The NSF Convergence Accelerator is modeled on acceleration and innovation activities from the most forward-looking companies and universities. Specific funding opportunities will be announced through Dear Colleague Letters, program announcements, and/or solicitations. For more information see the NSF Convergence Accelerator website: https://www.nsf.gov/od/oia/convergence-accelerator/index.jsp

The Science and Technology Centers (STC): Integrative Partnerships program supports exceptionally innovative, complex research and education projects that require large-scale, long-term awards. STCs focus on creating new scientific paradigms, establishing entirely new scientific disciplines and developing transformative technologies which have the potential for broad scientific or societal impact. STCs conduct world-class research through partnerships among institutions of higher education, national laboratories, industrial organizations, other public or private entities, and via international collaborations, as appropriate. They provide a means to undertake potentially groundbreaking investigations at the interfaces of disciplines and/or highly innovative approaches within disciplines. STCs may involve any area of science and engineering that NSF supports. STC investments support the NSF vision of creating and exploiting new concepts in science and engineering and providing global leadership in research and education.